Preliminary meteorological results on Mars from the viking 1 lander

The results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 4 sols of operation. The instruments are working satisfactorily. Temperatures fluctuated from a low of 188 degrees K to an estimated maximum of 244 degrees K. The mean pressure is 7.65 millibars with a di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1976-08, Vol.193 (4255), p.788-791
Main Authors: Hess, S L, Henry, R M, Leovy, C B, Ryan, J A, Tillman, J E, Chamberlain, T E, Cole, H L, Dutton, R G, Greene, G C, Simon, W E, Mitchell, J L
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The results from the meteorology instruments on the Viking 1 lander are presented for the first 4 sols of operation. The instruments are working satisfactorily. Temperatures fluctuated from a low of 188 degrees K to an estimated maximum of 244 degrees K. The mean pressure is 7.65 millibars with a diurnal variation of amplitude 0.1 millibar. Wind speeds averaged over several minutes have ranged from essentially calm to 9 meters per second. Wind directions have exhibited a remarkable regularity which may be associated with nocturnal downslope winds and gravitational oscillations, or to tidal effects of the diurnal pressure wave, or to both.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.193.4255.788